Infant teether

Abstract

An infant teether comprising a hollow teething unit defined in part by thin, flexible walls for holding hard teething foods such as cookies, pretzels, fruits, and the like. The walls of the teething unit are provided with a plurality of holes for allowing the food therein to be released into the infant's mouth in small, soft pieces, upon a repetitive biting action on the teething unit. The infant teether further comprises a cap for closing an opening in the teething unit to prevent food spillage during use. A ring-shaped handle is integrally attached to the cap for easy grip by the child or parent. The food placed inside the teething unit encourages the infant to repetitively bite on the unit in an effort to consume the food therein. This repetitive biting action upon the elastomeric teething unit can bring soothing relief to the infant during teething.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An infant teether comprising: a) a hollow teething unit having an internal hollow space defined by flexible walls constructed of an elastomeric material for holding food and an opening for permitting insertion and filling of said internal hollow space with food;   b) dispensing means for allowing said food contained within said teething unit to be released into an infant's mouth in small pieces upon a repetitive biting action on said teething unit, the dispensing means comprises a plurality of food dispensing holes provided in the walls of the teething unit, said dispensing holes sized to allow small, soft pieces of food to seep out of the teething unit, while prohibiting large pieces of the food within the unit from breaking off and entering the infant's mouth to eliminate the risk of choking;   c) a cap for closing said opening in said teething unit for preventing food spillage during use, the cap further having a ring-shaped handle integrally molded therewith for easy grip by an infant or a caregiver; and   d) connecting means for detachably connecting said cap to said teething unit at said opening, the connecting means comprises a pair of snap lock parts, each extending outwardly from opposite sides of the cap, and apertures formed on the teething unit adapted to receive said snap lock parts for releasably locking the cap and the teething unit together.